Tyson Fury believes he can beat ‘any man born from his mother’ – but there’s at least one heavyweight out there that will never get the chance to prove that wrong.
The WBC World Champion is currently in the market for a game opponent following collapsed negotiations with fellow-champ, Oleksandr Usyk, for an undisputed bout.
According to him, he’s open to all comers, and has set his promotional team an ultimatum to deliver a dance partner for this summer.
One man, however, that won’t be getting the call, is Joseph Parker. The New Zealand native is an honorary Morecambe resident, training with Fury after developing a friendship with him in Las Vegas.
Parker, who is building up wins following a stoppage loss to Joe Joyce last year, is now coached by Fury’s second cousin and team member, Andy Lee.
At a press conference for Parker’s fight against Faiga Opelu, Fury was asked if Parker getting a shot at his WBC title was a ‘realistic possibility.’ He said no, as captured by Jai McAllister: BOXING.
“Definitely not. No. I’d rather give him the belt than fight him for it. We’re too close for that fight, and there’s plenty of heavyweights out there.”
He then joked that he ‘didn’t want to get beat up.’
Whilst many heavyweights will have match-ups they’re not keen on, Fury’s decision is more reminiscent of the Klitschko brothers promising their mother that they would never fight, even despite that contest being for the undisputed title.
At 31-years-old, Parker is much more likely to pursue a belt that his training partner doesn’t have should he want to become world champion again. He is currently in the top 15 of three of the four major sanctioning bodies.